15/05/2006

The 1st International Scientific Film Festival was successfully held for the first time in Greece, from 25 to 28 May 2006. During the Festival, which was attended by scientists, students and educators as well as the general public, 35 scientific films from 11 countries were shown. The films elaborated on medicine, genetics, biology, anthropology and new technologies. In parallel, lectures were given by distinguished Greek and foreign scientists.

The Festival was held in Athens by the Centre of Applied Industrial Design (CAID), in collaboration with the Hellenic American Union, the TELEciencia Festival (Portugal) and the International Association for Media in Science (IAMS, England), under the auspices of the Ministry of Culture.

The purpose of the Festival, which will be organised on an annual basis, is to disseminate and popularise scientific knowledge. It includes scientific films that are different from the usual explanatory documentaries, since they combine Science (content) and Art (form, television and film productions).

Seven films received prizes at the 1st Festival after being evaluated by a committee of experts in the fields of science, cinematics and journalism, while an audience prize was also awarded. Specifically, the following films received prizes: a. Scientific content prize: “Einstein’s Big Idea,” U.S.A.; b. Innovation prize: "Superbat", France; c. Art prize: "Offspring", Canada; d. CAID prize: "The Brain and Our Emotions", Canada; e. IAMS prize: "The Man who Wanted to Classify the World", Belgium; f. Platinum sponsor prize: "Threats on the Maculinea", France; g. Special Distinction of Hellenic American Union: "The Universe I Loved, the Delusion of the Senses", Greece; h. Audience prize: "Inner Adventure", France.

The Science Film Festival began with the TELEciencia Festival in Portugal in 1999. Since then it has spread to many European countries, attracting the interest of various organisations that are either active in the dissemination of scientific knowledge, or interested in strengthening the link between research and industry, and exploring new, more friendly means of disseminating the sciences. The organisation of the Festival in Greece has been undertaken by CAID, a non-profit organisation that has experience in the implementation of educational programmes on new technologies and in the organisation of relevant festivals such as the International Mobius Awards.

Please note that submission of entries for the 2nd International Science Film Festival has already begun and the deadline is 1 February 2007.

Source: CAID